Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Garuda Padang @ Orchard Central Singapore

I haven't been really adventurous when it comes to Indonesian cuisine and the ones that I've always been having is the ayam penyet and gado-gado. Recently when I'm in Singapore, I have a chance to try Garuda Padang, which is a apparently a popular place for some Padang cuisine in the republic.

Padang cuisine in general is the cuisine of the Minangkabau people and they are usually the spicy dishes. The way the padang cuisine is served is that all the dishes are on display and you choose whatever dishes you like and they will serve you the rice to go with it. Usually the dishes are in small portions, depending on the number of people having it.

Garuda Padang was started in Medan and the outlets in Singapore are the only franchises outside of Indonesia. The first restaurant is opened in 1976 and the business has definitely expanded as this is really a popular joint for some comfort food! The deco is pretty similar in all outlets as the main theme is white. I must say that I really like the bright ambiance and it makes all the dishes looked so good!

You can always start with the Jus Alpokat ($6) which is a popular Indonesian fruit - Avocado, blended and added with chocolate! Or you can opt for a refreshing Jus Serai Bermadu ($5) which is a lemongrass juice. The Avocado juice is really not my kinda drink as I find it a bit too thick and rich!

One of the must try in my opinion is this Ayam Goreng Bumbu ($5.30/pc). This is a very good piece of fried chicken served with heaps of fried blue ginger floss which goes so well with white rice! It's fragrant and the best thing was - the meat wasn't dry.

The other dishes that I managed to try that day includes the Tahu Goreng Bumbu Nenas which is fried tofu served with pineapples and peanut sauce. It's like a salad with lots of vege but the peanut sauce gives it a savoury flavour. The Pergedil Daging Sapi or potato croquette with minced beef is also recommended as it is fried to a crispy outer layer and it tastes like our chinese version of a fried dim sum dumpling.

What I really like is the Rendang Daging Sapi which is a Beef Rendang. I love the succulent and tender beef pieces and the wonderful aroma of the spices. Although it looks a little oily, the cholesterol was really worth it! The morning glory with sambal is also very good.

The grilled squid was done very well too as it wasn't overcooked and it's still succulent and tender unlike some that makes you chew like it's a piece of gum. I had a feeling that a bulk of the bill will come from this dish, the same scenario when we have our Nasi Kandar here in KL. haha...

I really don't have any complaints for the lunch I had that day although it hurts the pocket as this meal for two came up to about $70+. It's not cheap but I was really happy with the food served here. According to my friend who frequents Indonesia often, the Garuda Padang there is even much better! The funny thing is - I don't really see local Singaporeans frequenting this outlet and most of them here are usually Indonesians. Hmm...

11 comments:

the ayam goreng looks and sounds yummy, but i have to admit, i've never really been a fan of padang food. the recipes and tastes just seem so-so (and none of the padang restaurants serve booze, heheh) :D

The food looks good but I think I will skip the grilled squid cos I don't like squids in any form! Oh the bulk of the bill comes from this grilled squid? Haha! Good! All the better for me if I eat there! LOL!

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